AMC 10 Step by Step

2024 AMC 10B Problem 1

P1-10~1 minPrint

In a long line of people arranged left to right, the 1013th person from the left is also the 1010th person from the right. How many people are in the line?

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Key insight

The person in the middle is counted once from each end. Count the people on each side of that person, then add that person back once.

Solution

Start with a tiny line to see how positions work. In a line of 55 people, the 44th from the left is also the 22nd from the right. Adding 4+2=64 + 2 = 6 is one too many, because that person got counted from both sides.

So count the people on each side instead, and then add the person themself once.

1. This person is 10131013th from the left, so there are 10121012 people to their left.
2. This person is 10101010th from the right, so there are 10091009 people to their right.
3. The line is the left group, the person, and the right group:
1012+1+1009=2022.1012 + 1 + 1009 = 2022.

The answer is (B) 2022\boxed{\textbf{(B)}\ 2022}.

Why this works

Being "kkth from one end" means there are k−1k - 1 people on that side. When you add the two positions, the person in the middle is counted twice, so the rule is: left position plus right position, minus one. Checking a rule on a line of 55 people is a quick way to avoid off-by-one mistakes.

Concise solution

A shorter write-up, the way contest solutions are usually written. It may take a different route from the solution above.

Being 10131013th from the left means there are 10121012 people to this person's left. Being 10101010th from the right means there are 10091009 people to the right.

The line consists of those two groups plus the person in question:
1012+1+1009=2022.1012 + 1 + 1009 = 2022.

The answer is (B) 2022\boxed{\textbf{(B)}\ 2022}.

Review in the AoPS books

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Problem © Mathematical Association of America (MAA), American Mathematics Competitions. Reproduced for non-commercial educational use. Solution and commentary are original to this site. Also appeared as 2024 12B #1.